It's not all about price unless that's what you want it to be about. There are other considerations.

They are pretty much in order based on their actual quality. Things you can't "see" from a quote. The finishes on Schuler or Diamond are far superior to any on your list. Medallion isn't bad either, just not to the Diamond and Schuler level. Their products are just nicer to look at and touch. That's the really important part of the cabinet. I wouldn't care a fig for all plywood, and would save that upgrade money if choosing one of them puts you over budget. It's only misguided wood snobbery that actually makes people believe that plywood is "better" for cabinet construction. Save the money on the furniture board boxes and get the better quality doors and drawer fronts. You'll never be sorry.

Geppetto/touchstone makes a beautiful cabinet, but I am wary of the company. I sold one kitchen of theirs and they have a very long lead time (it is not set in stone like some of the larger companies and it expanded at the end) and when a mistake had to be fixed it took nearly the entire cabinet lead time to replace a couple of cabinets (it was not my mistake). Since then I have pretty much avoided using them and my boss is not keen on us using them either, they have had so much financial upheaval he is afraid of them not being able to complete and order. The cabinets were really nice though, I would say nicer looking finish than Medallion at a really nice price point. I know another kitchen designer at our other location had a nightmare placing an order with them as well so we are all kind of avoiding them. Designer gold has a 5 week lead time.

hollysprings, I'm slowly climbing the kitchen planning learning curve. I'm curious why you say plywood is overrated?

Kgwlisa, do you know does Medallion offer promotion all the time? The Medallion dealer told me they have promotion until Jan. 27. I feel pressure. because I still have a lot of detail need to work on.
The Touchstone dealer told me, "Touchstone" is a good company to do business with. Their quality is nice. I don't know i sould go with it or not. Because I don't have a lot of information of it.
For price, both brands are similar. That why I want to pick one of them.

Get some quotes on Kemper or Thomasville. They are the same as Diamond, and I do mean exactly the same. You may find that one of them would be a bit less. They would be my pick of the litter here.

"The finishes on Schuler or Diamond are far superior to any on your list. Medallion isn't bad either, just not to the Diamond and Schuler level."

Schuler and Medallion are one and the SAME. Medallion just changed the name for Home Depot and Lowes. Medallion is a great cabinet company...that's who'd I go with.

Our melamine cabinets didn't hold up all that well. The drawer boxes warped over time. Melamine is very sensitive to moisture I am told. I wouldn't call that wood snobbery.

It's just us and we were not hard on them.

"The finishes on Schuler or Diamond are far superior to any on your list. Medallion isn't bad either, just not to the Diamond and Schuler level."

Schuler and Medallion are one and the SAME. Medallion just changed the name for Home Depot and Lowes. Medallion is a great cabinet company...that's who'd I go with.

Question: Do you how what top you are going to be using on the cabinets? Granite, Quartz and solid surface all require a strong structurally sound level cabinetry. Take may determine what you use for cabinets.

"I do believe the back panels on the Diamond cabinets are thicker than those on the Thomasville."

Nope. All the same. Exactly the same. I just got back from the plan tour where they are all 3 made. They use the same exact materials, finishes, finishing processes, and everything. Right up until it's time to label them. There were shipments of all 3 lines sitting on their logistics area waiting on the right truck.

livewireoak - when you say all 3 were exactly the same, do you mean Diamond, Schuler and Thomasville? Someone above said Schular and Medallion are the same... Egads, I am so confused.

Jfay - the "furniture board" vs. plywood argument is one that is sure to cause all sorts of flare-up. Furniture board is sometimes also called particle board, which isn't really the same, but for the purposes of this argument we can call it the same. There are people here who feel strongly in both camps. I'm with hollysprings on this one, I don't believe that plywood is inherently superior. I think hollysprings is a professional, so her opinion counts for more than mine. If you look back at older threads on this subject, you'll find lots and lots of "spirited" commentary.

Essentially the argument is over whether plywood is stronger and therefore more structurally sound for use in cabinet boxes. Once you discount all cabinets which are made with the cheapest products from dicey sources (you should see the ones in my nephew's flipped home!), you are left with quality cabinets which range from perfectly functional to super nice. My research leads me to believe that plywood and furniture board are both fine materials to use for this purpose. Furniture board costs less, so that's a plus. You'll hear a lot of excited utterances on the subject, but that's basically the story.

My take on plywood (I have it) - it looks 1000x better than the fake printed plastic they line 'furniture board' with.

If you've ever seen a plywood cabinet interior with a birch veneer, you'd understand what I mean.

The facts that plywood is lighter, stronger, more moisture resistant and I believe contain fewer chemicals are secondary to the fact it just plain looks and feels better.

Now, for my 10x14 kitchen I only paid an $800 increase in material costs to my cabinet maker (local shop, not some national brand with millions in overhead to support). If you're paying some inordinate amount in a percentage for plywood, go find a local cabinet maker. You'll get better cabinets for less money.

My full custom cabinets cost much less than any quote from any 'big box' store.

Fake printed plastic? Generally, furniture board cabinet boxes are laminated with actual wood veneer, no plastic or printed anything involved. Plywood boxes are also laminated with cherry or maple or whatever veneer. Doors of either are generally solid wood of the desired type, although there are some veneers on the market.

hellokitty2012-if you are choosing paint cabinetry, you might consider "paint touch up" compatibility. Most major bulk seller manufacturers now use opaque post-catalytic conversion varnish paint. Smaller custom cabinet makers often, but not always, use opaque pre-catalytic varnish. The former technique is known for its incredible chemical durability, the later for its field touch-up ability. I'll link a thread below where I non-professionally reviewed these two techniques. It's something to consider when painted cabinets are in order.

Of yours listed, I admire Medallions paint finish very much. From a GW member recently:
4 yr old Medallion spec sheet- Bella door
-Door and drawer front are constructed from 3âÂÂ4" thick
veneered MDF material with solid wood edgebanding.
- Drawer fronts maintain slab design with vertical grain
direction.
- Veneers on doors and drawer fronts are not book matched

How many total upper and lower cabinets are in your order? Sink bases, those next to them (due to spillage),heavy use cabinets seem take the brunt of paint finish impact if that is being considered. Of course door front style impacts paint look over time also.

Hope this helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Painting mitered doors

This post was edited by SparklingWater on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 8:17